John Gatins

Writer John Gatins rose from relative obscurity as a bit player in features to an Oscar nominee for penning "Flight" (2012), a harrowing drama about courage starring Denzel Washington. The nomination...
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Quentin Tarantino and David O. Russell have been shortlisted for a top honour at the 39th annual Humanitas Prize awards. The accolades, split into nine categories, celebrate the best in TV and film writing and both directors have earned nods in the Feature Film section for Tarantino's Django Unchained and Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. They will compete with Flight's John Gatins for the title.
Writer/filmmaker Jeff Nichols has landed a mention in the Sundance Feature Film category for his coming-of-age movie Mud, going up against Ryan Coogler for independent drama Fruitvale Station and Michael Starrbury for The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete.
Meanwhile, the 30 Minute TV group features Modern Family writers Danny Zuker and Christopher Lloyd, Nurse Jackie's Liz Brixius and The New Normal's Mike Scully, and the 60 Minute category will be a fight between Bones' Stephen Nathan (for the episode The Patriot in Purgatory), David Shore, Eli Attie and Peter Blake for the Everybody Dies episode of medical drama House, and Karen Struck and David E. Kelly for Monday Mornings' Truth or Consequences.
The winners will be announced during a special luncheon on 20 September (13) in Los Angeles.

There must be few experiences more exciting if you're an actor or director than waking up to find you're an Oscar nominee. Several of those whose names were rattled off among the nominations for the 85th Academy Awards have already shared their joy and gratitude about the honor of competing for a little gold statuette come February 24.
Hugh Jackman, Best Actor, Les Misérables
"I hadn't planned to listen live to the announcements, but when I got into the car this morning to go to work, the driver had the nominations streaming as they were being broadcast. To be honest, it's very exciting but all a bit surreal, and it hasn't fully sunk in yet. This is a brilliant awards year that has been defined by an eclectic list of stories that have been told by incredibly talented and courageous filmmakers, and it's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other nominees in the Best Actor category. Having hosted the show, I have seen so many different sides of the Oscars, but to be an actual nominee is something I never would have dreamed possible."
Naomi Watts, Best Actress, The Impossible
“I am so thrilled and humbled with this morning’s wonderful news. The journey of telling Maria Belon’s miraculous story of survival has been an incredible experience and I am so grateful for this acknowledgement of our film. I am truly honored."
Denzel Washington, Best Actor, Flight
“Flight was one of the most challenging roles I’ve ever had in my career, and it was an honor to be directed by Robert Zemeckis. It’s always nice to be asked back to the show, and it will be fun to share the evening with our nominated screenwriter John Gatins."
Jennifer Lawrence, Best Actress, Silver Linings Playbook
"I'm so honored and grateful for this nomination and to be in the company of such talented actresses. Having the fortunate opportunity to work with David O. Russell was an extraordinary gift, and I am so thrilled for my fellow cast members Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver who are all nothing short of amazing. This was a labor of love that we all poured our hearts into and could not be more thankful to The Weinstein Company and Harvey Weinstein for their unyielding support of the film."
Robert De Niro, Best Supporting Actor, Silver Linings Playbook
"I am very pleased that the Academy has chosen to honor the many individuals who were a part of Silver Linings Playbook."
Jacki Weaver, Best Supporting Actress, Silver Linings Playbook
"I am completely over the moon by this morning's news. To be nominated twice now is incredible, and to be a part of this wonderful film and amazing cast makes things even sweeter. I am so happy for David O' Russell and could not be more thrilled."
Mark Boal, Best Original Screenplay, Zero Dark Thirty
Thank you to the Academy for these incredible honors. And thank you to the writers who have honored me today with their generosity and to the academy for the Best Picture nomination. None of us would be so honored today without the genius and remarkable talent of Kathryn Bigelow, and to her we are forever grateful.
Ang Lee, Best Director, Life of Pi
“I am deeply honored and frankly a little overwhelmed by all of the nominations that Life of Pi has received this morning. So many talented people gave everything they had to this film, both in front of and behind the camera, and to see all of them receive this kind of recognition is something I am incredibly grateful for.”
Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, producers of Best Picture nominee Lincoln
“We are absolutely thrilled and astonished with the 12 nominations. It is such a tribute to the work of those who joined us in this 12-year journey to bring Lincoln to the screen. We humbly thank the Academy members who honored so many of us.”
Sally Field, Best Supporting Actress, Lincoln
“I'm spinning and beyond thrilled on so many levels. To be included in this amazing group of extraordinary craftsman and exquisite talents has been an honor in itself. But now for us all to receive so much recognition from the Academy I'm deeply appreciative and overwhelmed, and basically, I still can't believe I got the role."
Tony Kushner, Best Adapted Screenplay, Lincoln
“I'm tremendously honored to be a nominee in the company of so many writers and filmmakers whose work I admire. I'm very grateful to Steven and Kathy, to Daniel, Sally, Tommy Lee and the whole cast, to Rick, Joanna, Janusz, Mike and John and everyone who made Lincoln happen. I'm overwhelmed by the Academy's response to the film. I heard that I'd been nominated while waiting to take off on a plane from JFK to LAX. James Gandolfini, who's sitting in front of me, gave me a hug and a kiss, so I'm about as happy as can be. ”
Joanna Johnston, Best Costume Design, Lincoln
“I’m thrilled and honored to be nominated, it was an extraordinary experience with a remarkable team who are all part of this recognition. It is my first nomination and I’m so happy to be part of this unique body of talent.”
Tim Burton, producer/director of Best Animated Feature nominee, Frankenweenie
"Frankenweenie is a very personal film for me. The idea of telling a feature length version was in the back of my mind for many years. Stop Motion was the perfect medium for this project, and one I've always loved for its expressiveness and dimensionality. I've worked with so many incredible artists: animators, cast members, set builders, and puppet makers, all who have helped bring this film to life one frame at a time. I'm so honored that the Academy has recognized this film as one of its nominees."
Mark Rich, director of Best Animated Feature nominee, Wreck-It Ralph
"To have the Wreck-It Ralph team's passion and years of hard work acknowledged by the Academy is an honor like no other. We are so proud, so grateful - I can't wait to congratulate everyone in-person."
Peter Lord, producer and co-director of Best Animated Feature nominee, The Pirates! Band of Misfits
"This is amazing! We tried to do something a little different with The Pirates!, in terms of tone and comedy, and it’s just brilliant that the Academy has responded to it in such a wonderful way."
Mark Andrews, director of Best Animated Feature nominee, Brave
"We are incredibly honored by today's Academy Award nomination. Brave has been an adventure from the beginning - starting with our research trips to Scotland, the crew embarked upon a journey that inspired us all and forever changed our fates. Thanks to the Academy from all of us here at Pixar."
John Kahrs, director of Best Animated Short nominee, Paperman
"It's beyond an honor to have Paperman nominated for an Oscar. I can't thank everyone on the team enough for their passion and hard work in making this dream project a reality."
With Additional Reporting By Lindsey DiMattina, Shaunna Murphy, and Matt Patches
Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt
[Photo Credit: Summit Entertainment]
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In the early hours of Thursday, Jan. 10, Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone will take a stage to announce the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards. Most years, the process is the cap to a long season with the same three titles dominating every category, the final choices rarely surprises.
This year is a bit different.
Sure, there are frontrunners, but more so than in the last decade, most categories are anyone's to win — or even pop into at the last minute with a surprise nomination. With the amount of Best Picture nominees in flux, no clear leader to any acting pack, and a bevy of technical awards that could go to any of the prestigious films to roll out over the year, the 2012 Oscar nomination line-up is one big question mark.
To test our powers of prediction, we weighed the odds and ran down every category with our picks for who may walk away with a nomination at the end of tomorrow. If they do, we'll still be up for one of the toughest Oscar pool years in a long, long time….
Best Picture
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Life of Pi
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Who Could Break In? In 2009, the Academy opened up the Best Picture race from five to 10 nominees. In 2011, they changed the rules again to allow the potential number of nominees to change based on the vote (with a minimum of five and a maximum of 10). So we're going with nine movies from 2012 for Best Picture. What could sneak in? Thanks to the BAFTAs, it seems more possible that Skyfall could be James Bond's first time in the Best Picture ring. There's also the French drama Amour, which could transcend the Foreign Film confines to nab the 10th slot.
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard – Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren – Hitchcock
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Who Could Break In? Naomi Watts was a longtime favorite for her physically demanding work in The Impossible, but quiet buzz has us swapping her out for Hitchcock's Mirren. Foreign language favorites Cotillard and Riva also look like solid picks, but raves for Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild could bump the young actress into the top five.
Best Actor
Denzel Washington – Flight
John Hawkes – The Sessions
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Hugh Jackman– Les Misérables
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Who Could Break In? This is one of the only categories that looks locked, but voters may have erased Joaquin Phoenix's anti-Oscar rant from memory long enough to move him into Hawkes or Washington's slots. The dark horse is Jack Black, who has been garnering more and more love in the awards season push for his performance in Bernie.
Best Supporting Actress
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
Maggie Smith – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Nicole Kidman – The Paperboy
Who Could Break In? Best Exotic Marigold Hotel could take a second slot in this race, with Dame Judi Dench bouncing Kidman from the ring (or even replacing her costar Smith). Amy Adams also looks like a major contender, but the favorite from The Master has lost traction since the movie debuted in September.
Best Supporting Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Leonardo Dicaprio – Django Unchained
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Alan Arkin – Argo
Javier Bardem – Skyfall
Who Could Break In? Robert De Niro is still a major player for the Supporting Actor category, but he's more of a legend worth nodding to than a stand out in Silver Linings Playbook. With unexpected love from both the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs going to Javier Bardem for his villainy in Skyfall, he stands a good chance of taking the fifth spot. Or maybe the voters will realize the greatness of Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike….
Best Director
Ben Affleck – Argo
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Who Could Break In? Tom Hooper (Les Misérables) earned the fifth slot in the Director's Guild award nominations earlier in the race, but the stylish magic of Tarantino may outnumber him when it comes to the Oscars. Close-ups and canted angles versus zooms and whip pans to bloodshed — which does the Academy favor?
Best Original Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Rian Johnson – Looper
Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master
Wes Anderson &amp; Roman Coppola – Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty
Who Could Break In? The Writer's Guild honored Flight writer John Gatins for his work on the alcoholism drama, but with Tarantino (who is not a WGA member and was ineligible for their nom) in the mix, his weaker work looks to be ousted. Writer/Director Michael Haneke's elegant work on Amour could also be honored if the Academy feels bad for not stepping up and giving it a Best Picture nomination.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio – Argo
Stephen Chbosky – Perks of Being a Wallflower
Tony Kushner – Lincoln
David Magee – Life of Pi
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Who Could Break In? If too few members of the Academy caught Chbosky's touching translation of his own novel, love for Beasts of the Southern Wild may be strong enough to bump it into this category (it was based on a short play called "Juicy and Delicious"). Enough Les Misérables support could also bump the musical into the category, replacing either Perks or The Master.
Best Animated Feature
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Rabbi's Cat
Wreck-It Ralph
Who Could Break In? Sorry, Rise of the Guardians. Although you're a technical marvel, your holiday magic just didn't impact enough people this holiday season to make you an Oscar contender. We'll go with the relatively unknown (but highly-praised by those who have seen it) Rabbi's Cat.
Best Documentary Feature
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Mea Maxima Culpa
Searching for Sugarman
Who Could Break In? Jafar Panahi's astounding self-portrait This Is Not a Film is a whirlwind of emotion — that's also shot mostly on an iPhone. The low-tech feel puts it under the flashy documentaries above, but one hopes the Academy could see beyond the cinematography.
Best Foreign Language Film
Amour
No
The Intouchables
A Royal Affair
Beyond the Hills
Who Could Break In? Amour is the one to beat, but watch out for Norawy's Kon-Tiki, which could rise all the way to the top if voters feel split over giving Amour Best Picture and Best Foreign Language love.

What controversy? Just one day after earning a 2013 Producers Guild Award nomination, Zero Dark Thirty — which is currently undergoing a review from the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding its depiction of “enhanced interrogation techniques” — continues to its awards season nomination dominance with a nod from the Writer's Guild of America.
ZDT's scribe Mark Boal is among the nominees in the Original Screenplay category, along with Flight (John Gatins), Looper (Rian Johnson), The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson), and Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola). The sci-fi travel mind-bender Looper, which is the bona fide mainstream smash of the bunch, is only improving its Oscar odds with its WGA nod.
That film's biggest competitor thus far this season is Lincoln, which also found itself with a WGA nod. The Tony Kushner-penned Lincoln script (based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln) is up in the Adapted Screenplay category, along with Argo (Chris Terrio), Life of Pi (David Magee), Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky, who adapted his own material for the screen).
In the Documentary Screenplay category the nominees are The Central Park Five (Sarah Burns, David McMahon, and Ken Burns), The Invisible War (Kirby Dick), Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (Alex Gibney), Searching for Sugar Man (Malik Bendejelloul), We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (Brian Knappenberger), West of Memphis (Amy Berg and Billy McMillin).
While many of the WGA nominated films are Oscar locks at this point, like ZDT and Lincoln, other expected surefire things such as Les Miserables, Django Unchained, Amour were snubbed, as were wild cards like Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Skyfall. The deadline for Oscar voters is today and the nominations will be announced on January 10. The WGA awards, including the TV nominees (which were announced last month) will be given out on Sunday, February 17, 2013 during simultaneous live broadcasts in New York and Los Angeles.
[Photo credit: Columbia Pictures]
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Robert Zemeckis is a blockbuster director at heart. Action has never been an issue for the man behind Back to the Future. When he puts aside the high concept adventures for emotional human stories — think Forrest Gump or Cast Away — he still goes big. His latest Flight continues the trend revolving the story of one man's fight with alcoholism around a terrifying plane crash. Zemeckis expertly crafts his roaring centerpiece and while he finds an agile performer in Denzel Washington the hour-and-a-half of Flight after the shocking moment can't sustain the power. The "big" works. The intimate drowns.
Washington stars as Whip Whitaker a reckless airline pilot who balances his days flying jumbo jets with picking up women snorting lines of cocaine and drinking himself to sleep. Although drunk for the flight that will change his life forever that's not the reason the plane goes down — in fact it may be the reason he thinks up his savvy landing solution in the first place. Writer John Gatins follows Whitaker into the aftermath madness: an investigation of what really happened during the flight Whitaker's battle to cap his addictions and budding relationships that if nurtured could save his life.
Zemeckis tops his own plane crash in Cast Away with the heart-pounding tailspin sequence (if you've ever been scared of flying before Flight will push into phobia territory). In the few scenes after the literal destruction Washington is able to convey an equal amount of power in the moments of mental destruction. Whitaker is obviously crushed by the events the bottle silently calling for him in every down moment. Flight strives for that level of introspection throughout eventually pairing Washington with equally distraught junkie Nicole (Kelly Reilly). Their relationship is barely fleshed out with the script time and time again resorting to obvious over-the-top depictions of substance abuse (a la Nic Cage's Leaving Las Vegas) and the bickering that follows. Washington's Whitaker hits is lowest point early sitting there until the climax of the film.
Sharing screentime with the intimate tale is the surprisingly comical attempt by the pilot's airline union buddy (Bruce Greenwood) and the company lawyer (Don Cheadle) to get Whitaker into shape. Prepping him for inquisitions looking into evidence from the wreckage and calling upon Whitaker's dealer Harling (John Goodman) to jump start their "hero" when the time is right the two men do everything they can to keep any blame being placed upon Whitaker by the National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The thread doesn't feel relevant to Whitaker's plight and in turn feels like unnecessary baggage that pads the runtime.
Everything in Fight shoots for the skies — and on purpose. The music is constantly swelling the photography glossy and unnatural and rarely do we breach Washington's wild exterior for a sense of what Whitaker's really grappling with. For Zemeckis Flight is still a spectacle film with Washington's ability to emote as the magical special effect. Instead of using it sparingly he once again goes big. Too big.
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Summary

Writer John Gatins rose from relative obscurity as a bit player in features to an Oscar nominee for penning "Flight" (2012), a harrowing drama about courage starring Denzel Washington. The nomination was the culmination of a decade-long transition from in front of the camera to a much-in-demand career as a script doctor on major Hollywood features and writer of sports-themed pictures like "Summer Catch" (2001) and "Hard Ball" (2005) for producers Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. After making his directorial debut with the family drama "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" (2005), with Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning, Gatins brought the long-gestating script for "Flight" to the screen with Washington and director Robert Zemeckis on board. His script, which took an unflinching look at a deeply flawed man who finds himself thrust into the role of hero after rescuing a troubled flight from crashing, earned an Oscar nomination in 2013, among other laurels. The honor was a clear indication of Gatins' ascent to becoming an A-list scribe in the Hollywood community.